Celtic’s Olivier Ntcham is wanted at Southampton, according to reports.
According to The Sun, Southampton are lining up a summer move for Celtic midfielder Olivier Ntcham as they prepare for life after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
It’s claimed that the Saints made contact with Ntcham’s representatives in January, gauging the interest in a potential move down to the South Coast.
Southampton have seemingly received enough encouragement to put the Frenchman on their summer wish list, with the report adding that Ntcham would ‘leap’ at the move.
The Saints are eyeing Ntcham because they are preparing to lose captain Hojbjerg, and are identifying targets early to make sure they aren’t caught on their heels this summer.
Hojbjerg is inside the final 18 months of his contract, and Sky Sports claim that Tottenham want to sign him, with Arsenal and Everton also interested in a summer move for the 24-year-old.
Tottenham may well be boosted by these reports, given them a belief that Southampton are preparing to part ways with Hojbjerg by already finding his potential replacement.
Losing the Dane would be a big blow, but Ntcham is a promising player. He’s more athletically and technically gifted than Hojbjerg, but maybe isn’t the dependable, robust leader that Hojbjerg has been for the Saints.
Ntcham can maybe grow into that role, and a move to the South Coast would see him make the same move Fraser Forster, Virgil van Dijk, Victor Wanyama and Stuart Armstrong have in the past.
There’s a long way to go until the summer window, but it seems that Southampton know Hojbjerg’s time with the club may be coming to an end – and have started to look for possible replacements, with Ntcham wanted.
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